The present invention relates to registration of pre-operative and intra-operative images for laparoscopic surgery, and more particularly to registration of pre-operative and intra-operative images of a target organ using biomechanical model simulations.
Laparoscopic surgery is a minimally invasive procedure that is widely used for treatment of cancer and other diseases. Advantages, such as reduced post-operative pain and shorter recovery time, make laparoscopic surgery preferable to open surgery. During laparoscopic surgery, organ surfaces can only be viewed through laparoscopic images and it is difficult to visualize sub-surface tumors. Accordingly, intra-operative three dimensional (3D) images can be introduced to provide updated information during the laparoscopic surgery. While, the intra-operative images typically have limited image information due to constraints imposed in operating rooms, pre-operative images can provide supplementary anatomical functional details and accurate segmentation of organs, vessels, and tumors. In order to bridge the gap between surgical plans and laparoscopic images, registration of pre-operative and intra-operative 3D images is desirable to guide real time navigation. However, such registration is challenging due to gas insufflation and other surgical preparation, which can result in large organ deformation and sliding between the viscera and abdominal wall. Thus, standard non-rigid image registration techniques do not provide accurate results.